GOD’S WAYS – OUR WAYS

In First John, the aged apostle writes that God is light, and that we must walk in the light if we are to have fellowship with God. He points out that we have all of the evidence we need to walk in the light in 1 John 1:2-3: the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. He continues in the following chapters to point out the things that are involved in walking in the light.
These include:

1. Recognizing that we commit sin and must confess our sins in order to be cleansed from our sins (1 John 1:8-9).
2. Keeping His commandments and practicing righteousness (1 John 2:3-6; 3:7).
3. Not loving the world (1 John 2:15).
4. Loving the brethren (1 John 3:10).

This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of what is involved in being a child of God, but these point out that being a child of God involves striving to be like God; being holy and keeping ourselves pure just as He is holy and pure (1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 John 3:3). This is not to imply that we can be sinless because we know that we do commit sin from time to time (1 John 1:8-2:1). However, if we are the children of God and walk in the light, we do not continue to live a life of sin. We must strive to walk in the light as He is in the light that we might have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
The question is how do we walk in the light? As pointed out above, John tells us what we must do in order to be children of God. It is easy to identify the things we must do, but it can sometimes be difficult to do those things. With that in mind, consider the following passage from Isaiah 55 that is crucial to walking in the light.
1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; and you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you – the sure mercies of David…6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
In Isaiah 55, God speaks through the prophet relative to having the abundant life. (Isaiah 55:1-2). He makes it clear that we must seek the Lord and call upon Him in order to have the abundant life (Isaiah 55:6). In order to do this, we must turn from unrighteous thoughts and wicked ways by turning to God who will show mercy and pardon. (Isaiah 55:7). Immediately following these instructions, God says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
So what is the point of Isaiah 55:8-9? Is it futile to seek the Lord and call on Him because He is so far above us? It is certainly true that God is higher than we are and beyond our ability to fully comprehend. There are certainly things about God we will never be able to know this side of eternity (cf Romans 11:33). Zophar, one of Job’s three “friends”, makes the following observation in Job 11:7-9: . We must never think that we have God figured out, or that God thinks like we do. We can never presume to bring God down to our level.
But this still does not answer the question about the purpose of Isaiah 55:8-9. It is important to notice the preposition for in verse 8, which provides a connection to what has been previously stated about seeking the Lord and calling on His name. In order to do that, He says the wicked must forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. In other words, we can no longer think and act like the world; we must think and act like God, whose thoughts and ways are higher than those of the world. That’s the very point John is making about walking in the light and not in darkness in First John. If we truly are the children of God and not children of the devil, our thoughts and ways will be like God’s thoughts and way.
Consider some of the things that are involved in thinking and acting like God.
God hates sin (Deuteronomy 16:22; Proverbs 6:16-19). If we are the children of God and walk in the light, we will have the same attitude toward sin that God has. We will hate sin just as God hates sin.
God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). Society in general places no stigma on divorce. But God is the same today as He was in the days of Malachi (Hebrews 13:8). If we are the children of God, our thoughts on divorce will be the same as God’s thoughts.
God loves the lost (Titus 2:11; 2 Peter 3:9). As the children of God, we must have the same attitude toward the lost that God has and put forth the effort to teach them (cf Romans 1:15; 10:1-2; 2 Timothy 2:2; 4:2).
God commands obedience to His word (Isaiah 66:2; 1 John 2:3; 3:7; 5:3). As the children of God, we will align our thoughts and ways with God’s thoughts and ways that we might walk in a way that is pleasing to Him.
In Isaiah 55, God offers an abundant life. In John 10, Jesus tells us He came so that we might have life, and…have it more abundantly. Are we the children of God enjoying the abundant life? In Isaiah 55, God says we must think and act like God in order to have the abundant life. John fills in the details about how to think and act like God in First John.
Jesus accused the Pharisees of being the children of the devil because they thought and acted like the devil (John 8:39-46). Conversely, if we are the children of God, we will think and act like God (John 8:47). The attributes of the Father will be seen in us as His children. This can only be achieved if we walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7).
Kerry Arnold